After working on the script for roughly 20 years, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (Punch-Drunk Love; Boogie Nights) finally cracked his vision to adapt author Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland and, if one’s been following the awards circuit, the resultant film,… Read More ›
A figure living a controlled life is interrupted, ripped even, from his organized lifestyle when the unexpected happens and the man is forced into action. This is the general premise that applies to countless action titles and thrillers (even with… Read More ›
Born in Paris, French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski initially planned to be a teacher and graduated from École Normale Supérieure before earning an Agrégation higher degree in literature. Then she joined the screenplay department of La Fémis and met several students… Read More ›
Director Derek Cianfrance is a filmmaker who is near and dear to my heart. His 2013 film The Place Beyond the Pines hit me on a deep emotional level with its themes of fatherhood and legacy. Even with its heavier… Read More ›
Whom among us hasn’t thought that it’s the effort that matters in a relationship — that if you work hard enough, want it bad enough, everything will be ok? This line of thinking often discounts the hard reality that “wanting”… Read More ›
There’s a common misconception that stories, by nature of being broadcast or shown in a theater, condone behavior, justifying choices, always, simply because they are the behaviors and choices of the main character. This is an egregious failure of media… Read More ›
The year was 2005, the summer was sweltering with sequels (Pirates of the Caribbean 3, X-Men 3, Mission: Impossible 3, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift), new superhero movies (Superman Returns), family fair (Over the Hedge, The Devil Wears Prada, Monster… Read More ›
The only feeling better for a cinephile in learning that a film you dig or never got the chance to see is getting a physical release is learning that said film that’s out of print or region locked is getting… Read More ›
In the last nine years, actor Emma Stone and filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos have collaborated on five different projects — a short and four features — that have explored the ridiculousness of cruel friendship (The Favourite), of the human experience (Poor… Read More ›
What does one expect when a documentarian partners with a co-writer to write and direct his first feature? If you guessed a riveting, pulse-setting, sensational thriller about a heist and love and the chaos that unfolds, then you’d be right… Read More ›
If you’ve never heard of Adam Rehmeier, you’re doing yourself a great disservice. The indie gem Dinner in America (2020) is a completely underrated, under-the-radar gem that deserves to be seen by all audiences. Rehmeier’s newest, Carolina Caroline, has him… Read More ›
Mira Nair’s first narrative feature, the Indian Hindi-language drama Salaam Bombay!, is as much a documentary as it is a narrative of Bombay’s (now Mumbai’s) loud and chaotic street life. Even though its story and characters are crafted by Nair… Read More ›
If you didn’t know who director Kenji Tanigaki (Enter the Fat Dragon) was before, then after you see his explosive newest feature, The Furious, you’ll know he is one to look out for if you’re a fan of movies like… Read More ›
If you were to say there was a new movie from Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) about a real-life story of an armed kidnapping that is arguably justified with Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), an insane Al Pacino (Heat), and… Read More ›
“If you can’t bite, don’t show your teeth.” – Bubbe (Carol Kane) in Caught Stealing There are a number of ways to spin the “fish out of water” theme in stories. Sometimes it’s a tale where someone gets whisked away… Read More ›
Tales of mistaken identity are a feeding ground for all genres in cinema. There’s action (Galaxy Quest), comedy (The Big Lebowski), horror (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil), thriller (Lucky Number Slevin), and drama (El Mariachi) — and these are just… Read More ›
Starting with 2024’s Drive-Away Dolls, director/co-writer Ethan Coen with co-writer Tricia Cooke began what we now know is a trilogy of lesbian B-movies, a triptych of sorts, that include Honey Don’t! (2025) and the upcoming (and not-yet-dated) Go, Beavers!. These… Read More ›
Actor Donnie Yen has an extensive filmography of dramas, actioners, comedies, fantasy titles, and thrillers, often overlapping the genres in the same film and delivering solid martial arts entertainment in the process. From In the Line of Duty 4 (1989)… Read More ›
When it was announced that contemporary cinema’s most interesting enfant, Ari Aster, was developing a COVID-19 western, it did more than turn a few heads. Tackling one of the most uncertain and anxious times in recent memory seemed like an… Read More ›
It’s 2025 and comedian/actor Jim Carrey is a staple of pop culture. His take on the Grinch gets played by audiences looking to kick off the festive season (for those who celebrate) each winter; his version of Doctor Robotnik introduced… Read More ›